Team effort needed to win at Daytona

It may be the opening race of the 2004 Nextel Cup Series, but any team
that wants to be in a position to win the Daytona 500 on Sunday better be
in mid-season form.
Robert Yates Racing garage area.
Photo by Eric Gilbert.
There is some...

It may be the opening race of the 2004 Nextel Cup Series, but any team
that wants to be in a position to win the Daytona 500 on Sunday better be
in mid-season form.

Robert Yates Racing garage area.

Photo by Eric Gilbert.

There is some debate around the garage about the affect of the new
Goodyear tires and the aero package that NASCAR brought to Daytona, but
the end result is the same -- running more than 35 laps on a set of
tires is risky business. That means that teams will likely need at least
six trips to the pits to make it to the checkered flag in the Daytona 500
(Sunday, 12:00 noon ET on NBC).

"You do have to have a lot of things on your side," says Jeff
Gordon, who won NASCAR's crown jewel race in 1997 and 1999.
"You've got to have a fast race car, a good driver, a heck of
a pit crew, great communications, staying cool all day, and having some
good luck on your side. It's going to be the team that makes the
fewest mistakes that wins."

Quick pit stops are critical at every race, but with restrictor plate
racing, a slip up on pit road during a green flag stop can be
catastrophic. If you lose the draft and leave the pits by yourself, it's
nearly impossible to catch up to the pack.

"The pit crews are all fired up and everybody has had cabin fever
all winter," says Elliott Sadler, who will start on the outside of
the front row in his Robert Yates Racing Ford. "It's just a
three-hour chess game getting on and off pit road with no mistakes there
and no mistakes on the track. I think you have to be perfect to be
successful in this race."

NASCAR responded to the pleas of fans, media and the teams to come up
with a package that gives the driver more control over their car. A new
tire construction from Goodyear and a bigger spoiler at the plate tracks
have helped to spread out the field during Speedweeks in Daytona.

Ken Schrader, Ricky Craven and Ward Burton.

Photo by Eric Gilbert.

Holding the draft and picking the right line at the right time is still
the key to getting to victory lane at Daytona, but the drivers feel that
for the first time in years, they will be more than a passenger.

"I think this helps a team like ours be more competitive and get to
the front and stay there," Gordon says. "It's a
500-mile race. We're going to take every mile of that and try to
work our way to the front. We'll use the entire team aspect of it
to win this race."

It's unique to NASCAR to have its highest profile event at the
beginning of the season, but the tradition of the Daytona 500 is unlike
any other race. It is clearly the trophy that every NASCAR driver hungers
to add to his shelf.

"There is so much expectation and preparation that goes into this
race," Gordon says. "It really is the event that we all want
to win and we all want to be a part of. It's one of those things
that when you win it, it's one of the highest highs and when you
have a bad day it's the lowest of the lows."